without a doubt, the best part is meeting the remarkable men and women whose stories we tell. they show the world what courage, perseverance, forgiveness, resilience and real faith look like. you teach us so much. thank you. it's good to look back occasionally, butette's even more important to look to the future. we look back through a small rear view mirror but look forward to a wind shift t is our prayer that this program will continue to impact lives for many years to come. god bless you and thanks for watching.

>> george: today on christian world news, a european high court issues mixed rulings and religious discrimination cases. we'll tell you what it means for the christians trying to live out their faith. >> wendy: plus, taking the fight to radical islamists in africa. al-qaeda-linked rebels take control of northern mali, and now france is waging a military campaign to drive them out. >> george: and cuba loose ns it's grip. they're opening doors for freedom to travel and freedom to worship. >> george: a european court issues landmark rulings on religious freedom. hello, everyone, i'm george

thomas. >> wendy: and i'm wendy griffith. >> george: this week, european's highest court issued a mixed bag of rulings of how christians can live out their faith in the workplace. >> reporter: the european court of human rights has ruled that the u.k. had failed to protect the freedom of a british airways worker to wear her cross to work, but they rejected the case of christian nurse shirley jackson, who was refused the right to wear her cross for health and safety reasons. british prime minister david cameron says he was delighted that they approved the wearing of religious symbols. >> the chaplain, who's case is being supported, says she is very disappointed that her religious principles weren't being upheld. >> i feel very saddened that my views are not considered

as worthy as others'. that my right to manifest my faith in my workplace has been denied me. >> reporter: dispi despite her case being rejected, chaplain wants to acknowledge that the cross is a christian symbol. >> i am really, really grateful that the european court has upheld the principle that the cross actually represents the christian faith. which the government, for some reason, seems to feel that is not so. >> reporter: so what are the people of london saying about chaplain's case? >> i think people should be allowed to express their religious views. it didn't hurt anyone, so it should be allowed. >> i think it is cruel if she loses her job. >> it is their own religious belief. no one has any right or power to tell them about their religious belief. >> reporter: two other cases were rejected by the

european courts, including relationship counsellor gary mcfarland, and he was sacked for saying he may not be comfortable given counsel to homosexual couples. >> i think the disappointment will come if people do not look at this judgment and recognize this could affect you in whatever sphere of ployment yo employment you are in. >> reporter: and andrea williams says they won't be giving up on this cases. >> i will not cease, we will not cease, until justice is done. >> reporter: many believers remain deeply concerned that the european court's ruling mean these freedoms remain in the balance. >> wendy: and here with us now is greg muselman, who has written a brand new book, called "closer to the

fire, lessons from the persecuted church." is it coming here to north america? >> i think it is actually here, wendy, when you look at some of the things that are happening. i have personal friends that have been threatened by groups that are opposed to the message of the christian message. i have heard of one converter, who became a christian, and was killed. and the way christianity is treated in the media, and in canada, to even say anything against another religion is considered hate speech in some cases. with our message of talking about christians being persecuted, mentioning the purpersecutors can even get us in trouble. i would say it is all right here. >> wendy: we're seeing islamic islamics intensifying. you have a bible that was stained in blood from nigeria. tell us the story. >> i got this bible last

spring. and a year ago, in january of last year, there was an attack on a church in a place called gombay city in gombay state. a group called the boko haram, and i know you have reported many times on that islamic group. they went into the deeper life bible church, and three young men from the boko haram opened fire on the christians, and killed 10 people. two young boys were killed -- >> wendy: the person who owns this bible, they survived? >> yes. his name was youkuba, and he was shot in the waist area, and his blood is on the bible. when the shooting occurred, they had been praying for the boko haram. >> wendy: and they're tied to al-qaeda? yes. you have this militant islam spreading in nigeria, and it

is coming to the central part, which is considered a plateau state, which is the christian south and the muslim north, and there are many christian associations doing evangelism into the north and they've been getting attacked. >> wendy: tell us, what can we learn, lessons from the persecuted church? >> i could go on for a long time, but there are many things. i think the thing we can learn is god is at work no matter what. i know in a north american culture, we know god will bless us, but you see believers who are suffering and dying because of their relationship with jesus christ. we can learn forgiveness. even in the most horrendous situation, the lord can turn things around for good. even though we don't face maybe the physical violence that they're facing in nigeria, iran, iraq, but we still need to have that same passion. >> wendy: in 15 seconds, what's the common

denominator about christians around the world? >> for the most part, their love for jesus christ, and their desire to see the kingdom spread, and they know this is not how it ends. our lord is returning some day. >> wendy: the book is called "lessons fro from the persecuted church." greg, it is good to see you and we appreciate your work around the world. >> thank you. i love your administration and what you folks go. >> george: in france -- france is fighting a radical muslim group in the african nation of mali. the islamic rebels took over mali, and in recent weeks began a push for the capita capital. locals fear the imposition of shari'a law. now backed by other nations

and the u.s., the french military is beating back the rebels with air strikes and ground action. backed by heavy french military air support, malian and french supporters pounded the rebel targets, in the northern cities of gou and kidou. >> we are facing clear aggression. >> george: france began its military offensive to stop islamist rebels from advancing on the capital of mali. the al-qaeda-linked rebels that control of it since april, and began advancing south, prompting fears they could gain new territory. >> it is the security in the region of france, of europe, which is at stake. >> george: dispike the gains, rebels launched counterattacks, and fighting in the western part of the country has been particularly fierce. the u.n. expects the fighting will drive hundreds

of thousands of malian refugees to neighboring countries. those who have already left say they fear the islamic rebels will institute shari'a law. and most christians have already fled rebel-controlled areas, and churches have been destroyed. >> if you look to controlling the situation -- they are occupying their own house today. they are occupying the church, they are occupying the house, and they say they are looking for him. >> george: islamists promised to drag france into an afghanistan-style ground war in mali. the leader of the rebel group also threatened to strike at the heart of france. meanwhile, french intervention in the conflict has been welcomed by many of those who fled their homes after islamists took over. >> we look forward to when the situation can be resolved so that we can return to the village to rebuild what has been

destroyed. >> george: and my colleague, gary lane, has more about how this war is affecting mali's christian community. you can learn all about it on his blog, the global lane at cbn.com. >> wendy: and coming up, it was the blast heard around the world. a package bomb gravely injured this messianic jewish boy. how the family forgave their attacker and moved forward in faith.

>> george: welcome back to the broadcast. an iranian american pastor impressioned in iran is set to go on trial january 21st. officers arrested 32-year-old said abudini for his work in iran's underground christian community. the trial has been given to a judge who is notorious for handing out tough sentences. he says he has been told he will hang for his faith. the american center for control and justice is fighting for his release. they say it is time for the u.s. to act on the behalf of said. >> we did not see any real action from the state department until last week. when finally the media's attention on this shamed them into saying we're concerned about this matter. all they did before is said they were aware of it. they have still fallen short for calling for an american citizen's release. >> george: to view the entire interview and find out how you can help, visit

our website, cbn.com. >> wendy: our viewers may recall the teenage of ami ortiz. several years ago, he nearly died when he opened a package disiefd a disguised as a gift. their family was targeted because of their faith. now an israeli court has sentenced the man who sent that bomb. >> reporter: inside, they convicted him of murdering two palestinians in separate attacks in 1997. >> today's decision was very comforting for us. it came too late because we waited 15 years to hear such a decision. >> reporter: the court found him that the jewish terrorist was not insane, and held him criminally responsible for his actions. and they also convicted him of other violent crimes, including the attempted murder of 15-year-old ami

ortiz in march 2008. ortiz nearly died in that attack, when he opened a gift package delivered to his family's home. he miraculously survived and returned to the basketball court. the attack was directed against the ortis' because of their faith in jesus. his mother says even though her son still suffers physically from the attack, the family moved on a long time ago. >> from the very beginning, we understood we had to forgive him. the lord did a work of love in our heart. he gave me the love of god for this person, and commissioned me to pray for him and pray for his salvation. >> at the end, there is always justice for god. he is the final judge. i feel peace. >> reporter: in an earlier interview with cbn, ami says he prays for title. >> i pray and hope that this time in jail, he would think about and understand and realize he has done some

pretty serious mistakes, and he needs to repent. >> reporter: have you forgiven him? >> oh, yeah, like i said before, in the beginning there was no hate for nobody. >> whenever i see my son's body and i see the effects of his injuries, i die inside, personally. you know. but we just bring it before the lord and we keep on going for the lord. >> reporter: after the bombing, letters and support flooded the ortizes from around the world. >> we had people who supported us. i believe if it wasn't for the prayers and people wouldn't support us, we wouldn't be able to stand. we're standing here because of the body of the lord. >> reporter: title left the court, as he entered it, in chains. he is likely to be sentenced to life in prison. chris mitchell, cbn news, jerusalem. >> george: up next, a revolution is brewing. just 90 miles off of america's coastal. find out why change is

coming to cuba, when we come back. >> wendy: a highly anticipated new law took effect in cuba this week, ending the country's hated exit visa requirement. cubans formed long lines out sight immigration offices in havana. it means the end of obstacles to travel by those living on the island.

most are eligible to leave the country with a current passport and national identity card, lime residents of other countries. >> compared to before, when the process was very difficult and took a long time, and we had to wait for an exit visa and an invitation and spending money, and now we can save all that. >> wendy: the governments of other countries now largely control who can travel from cuba. they will determine who will receive entry visas. in many cases, cubans, like those from other developing countries, will still find it tough to get visas from wealthier nations, like the u.s. for many years, being a christian in cuba was an invitation to persecution. >> george: but the congregation is becoming much more open. big changes have been taking place. >> when fidel castro took power in cuba, communism gained a foot hold in the western hemisphere. the u.s. responded with an

embargo, effectively cutting off the nation from american goods and services. in the 50 years since, more than a million cubans have escaped the repression. today, the average cuban citizen cannot change jobs without government permission, an ununauthorized internet connection could land you in jail. the average citizen makes only about $15 a month. change happens very slowly in this aut authtarian country, but it is come, some would say out of necessity. it is surprising how little has changed in downtown cuba since the embargo began in the 1960s. but one thing that is changing is the religious freedom, which is surprising for a communist country. >> it was a very hard time for the church. almost 30 years we suffered discrimination for our faith

in jesus christ. >> reporter: but things have changed dramatically in the last few years, and the church is staging a comeback. >> i think that the cuban government believes that the gospel is good for the nation of cuba. for that reason, they are asking the church in cuba to have the the cuban government to bring back the great values of the cuban family. >> reporter: in the past, being a christian here all but guaranteed a very hard life. persecution was the rule. with charge leaders routinely imprisoned or driven taut of the country. those attitudes started to change were raul castro was elected in 2009, he promised to move the country away from some of the old communist policies, especially towards religion. >> in three years, from three prayer groups, now we have 103 prayer groups in this area. several years ago this couldn't have happened. but now this is possible.

by the miracle of god, because i think this is the time for cuba. >> reporter: we saw in times past many rigid things we thought would never be broken. now we're seeing a great harvest of souls in cuba. >> reporter: and the church is also making in roads in public schools, where they've been given permission to teach children the basics of principles. the government sees the church as a cheaper way to carry out social programs. but these church members believe there are deeper reasons. >> the people love us because we are bringing a message of love, of peace, of healing. >> we've gone around to various places, bringing food and clothing to those in need. and over 100 children have received christ through what we've done so far. >> reporter: and this leads to a new challenge. >> we need bibles. we need help with our

budget, to complete the work that is being done here. >> i think that the main thing is pray for us. you can help with bibles because sometimes the church grows up very fast, and we have not enough material. >> reporter: the christians in cuba are doing their best to take advantage of their newfound freedoms, and spread the gospel to the entire country. >> god is doing this in a special way for cuba. it is a special time for cuba. >> reporter: chuck holton, cbn news, havana, cuba. >> george: you can celebrate with our cuban brothers, simply visit our christian world news facebook and click and share. we'll be back right after this.

>> george: and finally on our show this week, cbn indonesia is giving free cleft and hernia surgeries to suffering children.

the majority are from poor muslim families. >> wendy: the ministry says the surgeries are their way of showing them god's love by giving their children a better future. lucille reports. >> reporter: 2-year-old earfun is crying because of the pain caused by hernia. the condition is very painful, and can be life-threatening. >> i was hoping, because we barely have money to buy food, how much more to pay for the surgery. so when cbn came to our village and informed us about the free surgery, i registered earfun right away. >> reporter: earfun and other muslim children were taken from their village to the cbn headquarters in the city. >> these people not only get free surgeries, but they're given free transportation and free lodging and meals. this is cbn's way of showing god's love among our muslim friends. raul heads the cbn outreach in indonesia. >> those people, i would say

99% are muslims. these people are from a radical muslim group. but we say that you are here because of a miracle. and who can perform the miracle? it is stated in your book that he performs more or less. he heals the sick. he raised the dead. essa al massi is the one that makes us do all of this and helps you extend the love to you. >> i would like to say a million thanks to cbn for your care and compassion to help low-class people like us. i am now happy and believe that my son is healed. now he has a big chance to be healthy and successful in the future. >> not only are the physical conditions of these children changed, but their families, and even their communities as well. as they see that their problems can be solved. they learn to see life more positively, and because of the good results, more people come to cbn for help,

which only means more opportunities for the organization to share god's love to them. lucille, cbn news, jakarta. >> george: well, we are done for this week. >> wendy: i was thinking of the cleft lip surgery, have you ever seen a more dramatic transformation? >> george: incredible. >> wendy: it is amazing what those doctors can do. >> george: and they do it in the name of jesus christ. go to our facebook page to get more information and stories and pictures and so forth. >> wendy: go to mine. >> george: go to hers. thanks for joining us this week, folks. >> wendy: we'll see you next